children / Debbie J.
To Brett's family ----You must know by now that Brett still lives !
He is always a part of your family , look around and you can see his smile and his love remain with all of you . 

We 'lost' our Jeremy almost 16 years ago ....but even the grandchildren ( his nieces and nephews) know about Uncle Jeremy !
We share his life every time we tell a story and show a picture . You 
do it too !

        "They are beyond our touch , but never beyond our love !"

May 2008 bring lots of great family moments to remember ! 
   love , Debbie Close

Wish you were here with us....  / Mom -. Mom To Brett Forever
... for the arrival of your newest nephew. James & Melissa have their new baby boy. Betz.. this is the first baby in our family since you left us. I hope you got to hold Jackson before he came down here to join us!! I am trying so hard to think of it in this way because I don't know if I can stand to think of you not being here with us for yet another important family event. I can 'see' you holding Jackson ackwardly at first and then with such pride and love. You won't get to roll him up in blankets and pull him around the house like you did Carson & Robbie. You won't get to throw him up in the air scaring me the way you did the other boys. You won't be pulling Jackson around our yard in the lawn wagon the same way you did Carson & Robbie. Jackson will never remember his Uncle Betz...unless I tell him all about you. When I looked at him in the nursery window I remembered when I walked from my hospital room to the nursery to see you. I know you didn't see me but you opened your eyes it felt as if you were looking into my soul. I promised you that day that I would love you forever...and I will!!! If only I could go back to that day & look into your eyes again. I miss you every moment of every day. We all miss you at Christmas playing 'Santa' & handing out the packages. Please be with us on Christmas Day Betz.....I need to feel your presence!!! Close

Thinking of You  / Janeane Bricker (connected by angels & love )
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HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY BETZ !!!!!  / Mom
Happy birthday baby!!! It's so hard getting through today without you here. You would be clowning around...puffing your chest out & saying with mock pride "I'm a MAN now'!! And I would be saying...'oh yeah, you think so???' lol  We miss you soo much Betz. I can't touch your Magic cards or your dancing boots without crying. This coming Sunday the whole family is going to send you some birthday balloons...catch some of them and with the others see how far from home you can send them, We're going to miss you forever Betz....until we are all together again!!! Please be there to greet me when I cross over...I'm living for that day Betz!!

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Precious in our hearts  / Vicky Moore (none)
Hi there, I just wanted to send my prayers and support to you.  I have never lost a child and can't begin to imagine your pain.  I have just recently lost my angelic mother to cancer on April 1, 2007.  She was my best friend and biggest fan.  I am the only daughter and youngest of 4, we were so very close.  My heart aches and I rely on God's faithfulness and mercy to get me through my terrible grief.  God is so good....even when we don't understand...AMEN!!!  Thank you for a lovely site and wonderful tribute to your son.  God bless you all!!!! - Vicky from Southern, California Close

Thank you  / Janet Keller (friend of Cheryl )
Cheryl....I has been such a 'delight' getting to know you. I thank you so much for your kind words about the bears that I made in memory of Brett. I wish I had known him!! He sounds like such a wonderful young man. Why is it this happens to the best of the best?? I hope that you and your family find much comfort in your "Brett Bears", it was certainly and honor to make them for you, and also an honor to get to know Brett and you!! Big Hugs...Janet, Joe's Mom Close

No Special Occasion ... just missing you  / Mom
It's not your birthday Betz..it's not your Heaven anniversary...it's not another holiday without you...it's just another day of missing you, wandering where you are, another day of choking back the tears. Just like the song..I wonder who'd you'd be today. Would you still be in the radiography class?? Would you have a girlfriend?? I wonder today if 'you' are out there and am I really seeing 'signs' from you, or am I just so grief-stricken that I am fooling myself?? You, your brothers, and your sister are such a major part of who I am...and now a huge part of 'me' is missing since you left this life. Tonight Kelsey gave me a drawing you made in high school. It's one of your Medieval drawings..a man with a sword drawn outward, but it's not finished. I kind of remember when you did this drawing. You weren't satisfied with how it was turning out and I think you did another one instead, so this one remains unfinished...just like your life here Brett...unfinished...and so much unused potential!!! Except that in your life there was no need to quit and start over...your life was turning out just fine.  I was..I AM so very proud of you Betz!! I miss your humor, your smiles, and your affections. I want so much for you to be proud of me Betz...but, it is such a struggle when I am so homesick for you!! Because I have you Dad, brothers & sister here I will keep on trying, but I pray when I take my last breath that you will be there to greet me in Heaven. I also pray that somehow, someway you know how much you are forever loved and missed. I will never ever stop loving you!! Close

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY BRETT  / Janeane Bricker (Moms Friend )
                              



HAPPY 4TH OF JULY BRETT

YOUR FAMILY WILL ALWAYS 

CHERISH EVERY MEMORY OF 

EVERY DAY SPENT WITH YOU Close

Wonderful Tribute  / Donna Mason
What a wonderful tribute to your son. I had the pleasure of meeting you at the support group in flora. The love you have for your son continues to shine. May God Bless and comfort you and your family. Close

In Memory of Kanda Jacobs  / Dianna Jacobs (his mother )
I have looked quickly through Brett's Memorial website, what
a wonderful legacy he left for his friends and family and to
all who visit here. I will be back and take some time to really
get to know Brett and his family.

My condolences to Brett's loving family from another family
who certainly knows your pain. We, did get to keep our
daughter until she was almost 31, but as you and others know
who have lost children, the age does not matter, our children
should not precede us in death.

To Brett, your short 18 years on this earth were filled with
the love of a wonderful family and your love for them. From
what I have read about you, you could find so much joy in
life, just as my daughter, she loved life, the beauty of
nature, flowers, animals, the beauty of all she met in her
life.  I, too, believe you were so much like our daughter,
enjoying every minute of your life, packing as much in
as you could.

My biggest hugs to all ( Brett's Family and Friends)
An Angel Mom, Kanda's Mom
Dianna ( from Flora, Illinois)
www.kandamjacobs.com

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Missing you Betz..everyday...eve-ry moment  / Mommy

I begin every day thinking of you and every day ends with missing you Betz. Your sister is graduating high school soon...I wish you could be there..I know you are in spirit. It seems just like yesterday when we went to your graduation. You were all smiles that day...anticipating a bright future...a future that we did not know was going to be but 7 more weeks with us. Kelsey is also getting ready to go to prom. I look forward to seeing her all dressed up and having fun with her friends. Oh how I wish I would have talked you into going to your prom...that is a missed memory..and that is all I have now..memories to hold onto. Kelsey will soon be registering for college classes. I remember being with you as you signed up for your classes...classes you would never get to attend. It is so hard to hear of your classmates as they go through college and preparing for their futures...futures that will include graduations, marriages, children, and making memories with their families. We miss you sooo very much and even after 21 months each day is a struggle. I hope that somewhere, somehow you know that we still love and miss you Betz....and know that as Kelsey graduates we will be celebrating for her and at the same time thinking of you.

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HAPPY EASTER BRETT  / Janeane Bricker (Moms Friend )

           HAPPY EASTER  

                    BRETT Close

Your Light Will Shine Bright Forever  / Janeane Bricker Brandons Mom (An Angels Mom Too )
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HAPPY VALENTINES DAY BRETT  / Janeane Bricker


HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
  
                  
                  BRETT
 
        





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my friend  / Magen Travous (friend)
Brett, it's been a while since I came and saw you last and for that, I'm sorry. I feel guilty for not coming and visiting you more often, putting flowers on your grave and a balloon on your marker.  I'm coming home tomarrow and more than anything I want to come visit you. Hopefully I'll have a balloon in tow with me too. I miss you much....like always.  You and your family are in my prayers Brett.....know that.  Love, Magen Close

My memories  / Chris Hahn (friend)
I remember him from the first day of kindergarten, standing in the lunchline, to the last semester of high school making jewelry in my Mom's art class.  I remember being disappointed to hear that he had moved to Indiana while we were in high school, and was glad to hear he was back, when he called me one morning.  I saw Cheryl at my Dad's office the other day when my Dad was making some graphics for her, we had a few things to say about it, but I still find it hard to say much of anything as a lot of people probably do.  What I do want to say is that, I miss my friend, his laugh, watching comedy movies with him, eating Joe's pizza with him, and talking to him in class.  I wish I could meet people like him more often and I miss him because I can't even explain how great of a person he was to me.~Chris Close

I MISS YOU VERY MUCH BRETT  / Carmen Davis (fRIEND)
I WISH YOU WRE STILL HERE BRETT. I MISSED WORKING WITH YOU. Close

Missing you at Christmas....and every single day !!!!!  / Mom
Betz...

It's Christmas Baby..our second Christmas without you. I resent that time is going by like it is. How can life just 'go on' when you are not here with us?? This was your favorite time of year... You always played 'Santa' for the family...passing out the gifts and then helping your nephews with their toys afterward. You should be here enjoying Christmas with them instead of me!! I wish I could trade places with you...I wish you were here living out your dreams. You should be here building your future...school..finging the right girl (one who loves you as much as I love your Daddy)...starting your own family. You talked about wanting children one day and you would have been such a goood Daddy.


I thought of you all day today as I watched your brothers laughing... you would have been right in the middle of the horseplay. I thought of you as the gifts were being passed out I went into your favorite clothing store at Evansville the other day....just to savor the memory of you & I being there. I saw some shirts that I would have bought you for Christmas. It was so sad walking out of there empty handed...did you see me there crying for you Betz??? I thought of you today as we were all eating. I didn't buy any olives...I couldn't stand to see olives at our table knowing you wouldn't be here to enjoy them. I thought of you as Kyle was playing with your nephews.... I hope they remember playing with Uncle Betz just like they were playing with him. I thought of you as we were talking about our family vacation that starts tomorrow. We're going to Gatlinburg Betz!! Remember how much you loved it there?? I t will be so hard for me to be there when you are not there with us. So many memories of our family trips!!

Betz... before July 9th, 2005 I did not know it was possible to cry every single day for over 17 months. I do not think I will ever understand why I am here and you are gone. It should have been ME !!

Recently I saw a quote on a grief support message board and I think it sums it up... this is my life now that you are gone. It says: 

              The presence of your absense is everywhere!!! 



                                                       

                    
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still missing you  / Magen Travous (firend)
I don't know where to begin because I'm afraid I'll leave something out.  There are days I see your picture and hear your song...and I think about you casually.  As bad as that sounds...casually.  I think of you and the times we had togther and go on about my day.  Then there are days that I find myself reaching out for memories of you. I come here and watch your pictures float by on the screen and am envious that I never had one with you...that I don't have one of you.  All I have Brett are your clippings from the paper.  Those days for some reason everything comes crashing down and I find myself gasping for air....I miss you so much I, I cry so hard I can't breathe.  I lie there wishing I could have those moment before I knew back.  That I would have been told later. Everything changed after that and I can't go back.  I miss the feeling that everything and everyone is allright and we'll all see each other soon when school starts again.  I'm angry with myself for not seeing you more often.  I'm angry that you're not here....I'm anrgy with myself for being angry because I have no room to be angry compaired to some people.  You weren't my brother, my son, my life.  But now that you're gone it feels like you were and it hurts so bad.  So I can't imagine how your family feels so when I pray, I pray for them.  I would give anything and everything to have you back here. Even if it meant never seeing you or talking with you again.  Just to know that you were back with your family would be worth it.  I keep you in my prayer Brett and I thank you for the time we had together, your friend Magen Close

Missing You On Your 20th Birthday  / Mom

Betz.... The family got together last Sunday to celebrate your life.  It was a  beautiful clear day and the balloons we sent up to you just seemed to drift slowly away.  We watched them for a long time and I wondered if you caught any of them.  Today is your actual birthday and you would be 20 today .. no longer a teen ...and you would be joking with me about being 'a man' now...and I would be teasing you about still being my baby boy!!!   I wonder if you would still be in radiology or if you would have changed career plans.  I just wanted you to be happy and not move too far away so that we could see you often...and now we can't be with you at all.  If you still had your 'peach fuzz goatee' you'd be rubbing it on my face and laughing.  I hope that you know that I let you keep that peach fuzz for the funeral.  I hope you know that I still have your aquarium and for your birthday I added 4 new fish. I hope you know that I love the gazebo that you gave me...and you're right...you DID keep your promise and DID get me a gazebo, but everytime I see a gazebo I still hear you voice saying "Look.. a gazebo Mommy, a gazebo."!!!!   I hope you know that I have not changed your bed sheets.....that was the last place I saw you alive on that terrible day, I hope you know I am trying to learn your favorite dance 'Chill Factor'...you were supposed to teach it to me, but...we ran out of time, I hope you know that there's a hole in my soul now that you are gone....that hole can never be fixed, I hope that you know that I miss dancing with you .. how many boys dance with their Mothers...those dances will always be special to me....I hope you know that I will always love you and will always miss you and I am praying that you will be waiting for me when my time is over.  Twenty years ago today my life was blessed in more ways that I could ever have hoped for.....I just didn't know that I would only have 18 years to make memories to cherrish...memories to keep me going until my time is over.  The day you were born I walked to the nursery... walked over to your crib and you were laying there looking around wide eyed seemingly observing your new world.  I looked into your eyes and wondered what you & I had ahead of us and in that one moment I was in awe.  If someone had told me at that one moment that you would be taken from us too soon I would not have been able to comprehend what it would be like to have my heart torn out and then to have to go on with 'life'.  Thank God we still have your brothers and your sister. Dear Betz...do you know how empty your room is now...not any where as empty as the hole in my soul where my heart used to be!!!  Before July 9th, 2005 I had no idea that anyone could cry everyday for over 16 months..I know that now!!!  I've been told that 'time heals' ... it's going to take a lot of time, but until then....know that I love you Betz, I miss you Betz, I still need you Betz, and I look forward to seeing your face again someday Betz!! Please wait for me...and save me a dance as you 'Dance With The Angels' !!!

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